Confused about what exactly do these terms mean and which of these two matters most? Well, they are essentially two sides of the same coin or literally, the yin and yang of your engine. Although most car owners don’t bother to dwell much on torque and horsepower, much as most smartphone users care less to dive deep into the intricate details like RAM or SoC on their mobile, however, knowing about torque and horsepower certainly makes you a more well-informed car owner.

What is Torque?

Often referred to as vehicle’s grunt, pulling power or oomph, Torque is the amount of turning power your engine has. Modern cars are so loaded with technology, comfort and safety kits that they weigh far more than their equivalent from decades ago. Thus, these cars need more force – torque – to get them moving. Defined at engine’s rotational force, torque is always expressed at a certain engine speed, Torque is usually measured in Newton metres (Nm). For example, Ford Ecosport develops a peak torque of 170Nm from 1500rpm to 4500 rpm. Digging deep, torque becomes more important as you move from compact segment to sedan and even rugged off-road vehicles and Utes since unlike small cars that can easily cruise with little torque, larger vehicles require a high torque to move their weight or perform.

What is horsepower?

A product of torque, horsepower is essentially what takes you to top speed. It defines how quickly the torque can be delivered. So if the engine can do a lot of work quickly, it’s termed as very powerful. That is why racing cars and luxury cars have powerful engines. Horsepower is denoted by Bhp/Kw/Ps/ Hp. Torque and horsepower are closely related and you can’t have one without the other. If you compare two engines with different torque outputs, the higher torque will always make more horsepower at any given speed. Thus, a high torque engine is often more rewarding to deliver high punch and flexibility

2 Common Myths

Myth # 1 An engine with more torque pulls better

Fact - It isn’t just the engine torque that decides how fast you go, it is the horsepower. However, not all engines of the same peak horsepower are equal. Some may have a flatter horsepower curve than the other for better performance during gear shifts.

Myth # 2 An engine with higher torque is better for towing

Fact – Among the two, horsepower is the most important measure. Engines tuned to have peak horsepower below 5252 RPM will always have more torque than horsepower. On the other hand engines with a peak performance above 5252 RPM will always have more horsepower than torque. Thus, this is also probably why larger vehicles tend to be fitted with diesel engines because diesel engines offer more torque at lower revs than a petrol engine.

Which matters most – Torque or Horsepower?

Actually both of them, and this varies in each context.

To use a popular analogy, consider a situation where you are twisting off the cap on a peanut butter jar. When you are using all your strength to open the jar – you are applying torque. Horsepower is when you spin the lid to open it quickly. Both horsepower and torque affect your car’s overall performance and therefore it is common to see people mix up these two. Generally, the greater the horsepower an engine produces, the higher the torque potential.

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